Rome 2026 – Santa Maria Maggiore

from wikipedia: “The Papal Basilica of Saint Mary the Great, also informally known as the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, is a Roman Catholic Papal Basilica and one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome. The largest Marian church in Rome, it is regarded as the first Marian sanctuary and the mothership of all Marian shrines. It is now agreed that the present church was built on the Cispian spur of Rome's Esquiline Hill under Pope Celestine I (422–432) not under Pope Sixtus III (432–440), who consecrated the basilica on 5 August 434 to the Virgin Mary. The church retains the core of its original structure, despite several additional construction projects and damage by the earthquake of 1348.”